Ashley pays poignant poppy photo tribute

Susan Plunkett

These two moving, merged images may be separated by 93 years but the sentiment and poignancy is the same.

In the picture on the left, known as The Last Tribute, a little girl crouches down to place a wreath at the foot of the Padiham cenotaph on the day it was opened on October 21st in 1921.

And on the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of the First World War, nine-year-old Ashley Slater re-created the touching pose. The moving image was captured on Remembrance Sunday by her proud dad, Mr Lee Slater, after the Padiham Green pupil was chosen for the very important job.

Mr Slater said: “Ashley was thrilled to be chosen to take part in the Remembance Sunday ceremony in such a special way.

“She fully realises the significance of this event and what her role was in posing for the photograph. It is something very moving and also historic for Padiham.’’

Also there to watch Ashley was her mum, Nicole, brother Charlie (11) and little sister Lilly who is six.

The original photograph is part of an extensive collection from the Padiham Archives. The little girl’s name or age at the time is not known. Now the image of Ashley will be exhibited beside it as a unique tribute for the war dead.